By Pejman Akbarzadeh (Source: CHN)
Alireza Mashayekhi is one of the most important representatives
of new music in Persia
(Iran). In 1993 with cooperation of the pianist Farima
Ghavam-Sadri, Mashayekhi founded Tehran Contemporary Music Group and in 1995
established Iranian Orchestra for New Music. This orchestra alongside many
concerts in Tehran, produced its first CD in 2002 which was released by
Hermes Records. Recently, on the occasion of the
10th anniversary of the foundation, the 2nd CD of the Iranian Orchestra for New
Music named "Celebration" was released in Tehran.
"Celebration" includes five pieces:
"Celebration" (For Piano and Percussion) Op. 133
(1998)
"Celebration" may be regarded as one of the most successful
examples of Meta-X music, which Mashayekhi defines as music based on thoughts
derived from various cultural sources. In this piece, "theme-based non-tonal,"
"non-theme-based non-tonal," "Persian folk music" and "Persian traditional
music" appear side by side or at times in contrast to each other. "Celebration"
for piano and percussion is presented once with Persian percussions and once
with Western percussions.
In "Celebration", there are situations in which
the improvisation by the players will allow the audience to note differences
within each performance. "Celebration" is dedicated to Farima Ghavamsadri. She
has performed this piece on numerous occasions with the Iranian Orchestra for
New Music.
Meta X No. 1 (For Violoncello and Orchestra) Op.
152 (2001)
Meta X No. 1 has been written in four different versions.
The version in this album is for cello and orchestra. This is a multicultural
piece using different techniques and sources in coordination to achieve a unity
of expression. The final result is far from a collage. This composition
was premiered in May 2004 by Marie-Thérese Grisenti and the Chamber Orchestra of
Ecole Nationale de Musique de Cachan, France, conducted by Gilles Carré.
Meta X No.1 is dedicated to Marie-Thérese Grisenti. Sanam Gharachedaghi is the
soloist in this album.
Sonata II (For Piano and Orchestra) Op. 138
(1999)
The sonata, as a musical form, has been an inspiration for
many of Mashayekhi's compositions. He has composed solo sonatas as well as
sonatas for solo instruments and orchestra. In addition, many of his symphonic
movements have used sonatas as their basic form. However, it must be kept in
mind that his approach to the sonata form is personal and quite distinct from
the classical form. Mashayekhi usually uses different "atmospheres" in
exposition as replacement for themes and adds new "atmospheres" as additional
material for the purpose of development.
Sonata II for piano and orchestra
is dedicated to the late Emmanuel Melik- Aslanian and premiered in January
2000 by Gagik Babayan and The Iranian Orchestra for New Music, conducted by
Alireza Mashayekhi.
Sokoot IV (For Orchestra) Op. 154
(2002)
"Silence" is a major focus of attention in Mashayekhi's
music and it has been approached by him from many different angles. Thus he
devoted a series of compositions to the dialectic of sound and silence. He uses
the Persian word for silence (sokoot) for the compositions of this series. In
Sokoot IV, the silence is constructed in such a way that the climax of silence,
a pause of 55 seconds, takes place approximately in the middle of the piece.
Here, the instrumentalists recite lines from poetry by the 13th century Persian
poet Hafez (Hafiz), .
Sonata 82 (For Piano and Orchestra) Op. 128 No. 3
(2003)
In honor of the 10th anniversary of the founding of the
Orchestra for New Music, Mashayekhi made a new version of his Sonata for Violin,
Piano and Orchestra. As in many of his other sonatas, Mashayekhi takes a
very personal approach to the classical sonata form. In the exposition
"atmospheres" replace themes. Atonality in this composition is extracted from
both thematic and athematic relations.
Alireza Mashayekhi was born in 1940 in Tehran. He
studied with Lotfollah Mofakham Payan (violin and Persian music), Hossein Nasehi
(composition) and Ophelia Kombajian (piano). Hanns Jelinek and Karl Schiske were
his composition professors at the Vienna Music Academy. Hanns Jelinek encouraged
him to explore a wide spectrum of 20th century music. This and his fondness for
Persian culture were the cornerstones of his artistic development. After
completing his studies at the Academy, he went to Utrecht, The Netherlands, to
pursue his study of electronic and computer music, which included attending
lectures by Gottfried Michael König.
Mashayekhi's compositions have tended towards three major
directions: pieces that are directly inspired by Persian (Iranian) music (e.g.
'Symphony No. 5', 'Persian Suite', and 'Shahrzad') and compositions that are not
directly related to Persian music ( e.g. 'Symphony No. 6', 'Concerto for Violin
and Orchestra', 'Sonata for Piano') and multicultural compositions (e.g.
'Symphony No. 8' and the electronic composition 'East - West').
About the author:
Pejman Akbarzadeh is a 26-year old pianist
and writer in Tehran. He is a member of "Artists Without Frontiers"
(www.artistswithoutfrontiers.com/pakbarzadeh
) and representative of "Persian Gulf
Online Organization" ( www.persiangulfonline.org) in Persia (Iran). His book about 20th century Persian (Iranian)
Musicians was
cited as "an honor to Persian musicological circles" in the Maryland-based
"Iranian Musicology Quarterly".
